The purpose of this grant is to provide funding to Hope Restoration, Inc., a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit, to assist with the Rebuilding East Kinston project. Hope Restoration would provide paid unemployment and training for adults recovering from addictions and incarceration to help them get their lives back on track. Individuals would be employed to restore abandoned or deteriorating homes in the poorest neighborhoods of East Kinston. The homes would then be rented to occupants with rental fees collected being used to support on-going project activity. Hope Restoration will coach their employees and assist them with placement in more permanent employment. Training will also focus on soft skills. Golden LEAF funds will be used for the acquisition and/or restoration of 5 homes at an average investment of $40,000 per home. Primary funding since operations began in 2015 has been from the Duke Endowment and local donors.
